How Liverpool helps the Homeless

Since moving to Liverpool 2 and a bit years ago, i’ve fell in love with the city and the people who inhabit it; the only thing that isn’t so great is the heartbreaking number of rough sleepers, especially at night.

The good news however, is that since living here i’ve also noticed a fair few things that Liverpool to do help the homeless, and admire the pledge from their council that they will always open their doors to the homeless to ensure that nobody ever sleeps on the streets.

People have different motives for sleeping on the streets rather than shelters, but hopefully in the not so distant future more will be done to ensure that these people come round and accept the help, sleep in the warm and then begin to rebuild their lives.

I’ve noted a few things that people will do around Merseyside to help the homeless, here are some to name a few…

The Kingsway House and Labre House Project

Since moving in to my new flat in September, I walk past a building on my way to and back from University – a few months ago what was a deselect old Uni building had been accommodated by rough sleepers seeking sanctuary, now it has been transformed in to a safe and secure place for the homeless to sleep, have access to showers, food and computers to help build up CV’s and find work.

The Kingsway House project has been sponsored by the owner of Signature Apartments, who are situated just opposite the house referred to as ‘our house for the people’ and I think it’s truly honorary what he has done in such a short amount of time.

Unfortunately, although a great project, the shelter I have been following is only a temporary project and the facilities will soon be moved elsewhere. There is of course other great projects around the city to help shelter rough sleepers…

‘Labre House‘, followed by the motto “there is always room inside” is a Liverpool city Council project and the permanent shelter is located on Camden St.

To donate funds click here or here for a list of consumables they desperately need.

Homeless Cafes

Another I walk past every day on the way to University is the homeless cafe on Mount Pleasant. The cafe is part of the ‘Liverpool City Mission‘ and has been standing on Mount Pleasant sine 1997 – that’s as long as I’ve been alive!

These guys are always looking for food to help cook for the homeless, and it’s near the top of my to do list of good deeds to go in and donate some food to these guys – they really do the most and it’s good to give back.

This cafe is one of another charming things that the people of Merseyside do to help the homeless, and is the perfect accompaniment to the Labre House shelters, step by step the city is working to ensure that rough sleepers always have a place to sleep and eat, and I think that’s really something special.

I’m not sure about online donations, but if you live in the Liverpool area, like I mentioned above the cafe is always accepting donations of bread, milk etc. and is located near the bottom of Mount Pleasant which is just a stones throw away from Tesco, so you don’t even need to travel far to bring in some donations! P.s. they also accept clothing donations!

No Anti-Homeless Devices

One of the most awful things about visiting other cities is seeing the awful anti-homeless spikes and barriers put in place by the council to prevent rough sleepers from napping on benches and in doorways.

Just in case you don’t recognize the kind of ‘devices’ that i’m on about, here’s some examples:

Luckily, i’m yet to see anything like this appear around Liverpool, and hopefully I never will. In fact, it would seem these things are disappearing as fast as they’re arriving following public backlash. Professor Green recently took a stand to removing some of the ‘anti-homeless’ bars from the benches and since, the council has removed them all.

Something i’d like to see in Liverpool is a replication of the admirable efforts of Vancouver and the perfect antidote to anti-homeless spikes. The benches have a white backing, but if they need to be used by a rough sleeper they open out to provide shelter for the less fortunate – and I think it’s a really great idea.

The Whitechapel Center

And last but not least, the haven for homeless help is the Whitechapel Center, who really do some amazing work in helping the rough sleepers of Merseyside. They offer a whole range of services including shelter, food and also helping those who are at risk of becoming homeless.

These guys really do so much to help those less fortunate than us and I’m hoping to volunteer with these guys before long. Since moving here i’ve been hoping to help out but I’ve not found the time as of yet, but it’s certainly on another that’s on my to do list before I move away.

I’ve noticed that a lot of projects (including the Labre House) always seem to have people from the Whitechapel Center supporting it through providing volunteers, it seems that these guys are always on hand to help out wherever they can!

If you know anybody that may need the help of the Whitechapel Center then you can make a referral here, or if you’d like do donate, you can do so here.

*Note this is not a sponsored post or does not contain any affiliate links – i’d just like to see people help these great causes out*

Published by Jessica Pardoe

I am a first class, Business & PR graduate. I now work at Tecmark in Manchester as a Digital PR and Outreach executive. This is my blog where I write about all things PR and Lifestyle - thanks for sticking around to read it!
View all posts by Jessica Pardoe

I live right next to it and I’ve been following it from the start, it was really great to see! I also have him on LinkedIn so I’ve been able to follow the journey that way too. Liverpool’s a great place for helping people out isn’t it ☺️

About my blog… and myself

A quick hello

Hiya! My name’s Jessica Pardoe and this is my personal PR & lifestyle blog. I’m a 21 year old, first class graduate of Public Relations; now working as a Digital PR & Outreach Executive at Tecmark in Manchester. I also dabble with SEO and am a keen content writer and creator.